Summary: This book tells the story of Margaret who spends the summer with her uncle working to save the towers in their backyard. Itis a great story of fighting for something you want or believe in. The content of the story satisfies children’s basic needs and the plot is credible. The theme of the story is very important for children to hear. The author communicates in an honest way that there is hope in this world. Fighting for what you believe in is a valuable lesson for all ages and students need to learn at an early age that standing by what is right is very important and that they can make a difference.

This was a lovely take on a coming of age story. Not at all predictable and wonderfully worded. I loved getting to know all of the characters, especially the precocious and charming 12 year old, Margaret Rose. ( )

Solid, nicely plotted, full of interesting, real characters. The main characters are quite believable and fun to read about. Some of the supporting cast is cut from cardboard, and there's a fair bit of the denouement that seems contrived, but the overall story is well worth reading. There's also a fun tie-in with Silent To The Bone. ( )

I picked this up today and finished it today - the main character is so amusingly 'incorrigible' and different from the status quo, as well as her uncles. She is an 'old soul' in a young girl's body, and her strength of character/principles are refreshing. The plot flows effortlessly, and the ending could become a good conversation topic - is it truly a good ending for all? Konigsburg's characters are different - but the differences make them unique and interest-grabbing. ( )

Twelve year old Margaret Rose Kane is incorrigible. Not only does she refuse to bend to the will of her manipulative cabin mates at Camp Talequa, she stands up to and inadvertently insults the camp director and Queen-in-residence, Mrs. Kaplan. The intimidating and cruel confrontations that threaten to break Margaret's spririt only serve to strengthen her resolve, and everyone is happy when Margaret is finally banished/rescued from Camp Talequa. Luckily for her, with her parents in Peru, this means she can spend the rest of the summer with her delightfully eccentric Hungarian great-uncles, Alexander and Morris Rose. Margaret adores her great-uncles, and loves the house at 19 Schuyler Place--especially the three peculiar clock towers (tall painted structures covered in pendants made from broken china, crystal, bottles, jars, and clock parts) that the Rose brothers have been building for as long as she can remember. For Margaret and the Rose brothers, the towers represent beauty for beauty's sake--they sparkle in the sun and sing in the wind--they exist only to spread joy. Not everyone loves the towers however, and forty-five years after the birth of the project, the city council declares the towers "unsafe," and demands that they be dismantled and destroyed. Filled with the same fiery resolve that helped her survive Camp Talequa, Margaret (with the help of a handyman named Jake, a loyal dog named Tartufo, and few other unexpected allies) launches a plan to save the towers in the name of art, history, and beauty.

A companion novel to the award-winning author's acclaimed Silent to the Bone, Outcasts is strikingly unique, incredibly interesting, and, with references to "Bartleby the Scrivener", and the rose windows of Notre Dame, exceptionally literary. In other words, The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place is vintage Konigsburg. This quirky masterpiece will be enjoyed by young fans of Konigsburg’s other erudite works, and Polly Horvath’s The Canning Season.. (Ages 10 and older)

Upon leaving an oppressive summer camp, twelve-year-old Margaret Rose Kane spearheads a campaign to preserve three unique towers her great-uncles have been building in their backyard for more than forty years.